White giraffes are really rare and two, of the three left in the world. were killed by poachers in Kenya recently. The only female white giraffe and her calf have been killed by poachers in Kenya. The rare animal is found nowhere else in the world.
The bodies of the mother and baby were found 'in a skeletal state after being killed by armed poachers' in Garissa in eastern Kenya, the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy said in a statement, Daily Mail reports.?
The death of these two rare white giraffes leaves just probably one more in the entire world - a lone male, borne by the same slaughtered female, the conservancy said.
¡°We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffe,¡± Daily Mail quoted Mohammed Ahmednoor, the manager of the conservancy as saying.?
He further said, ¡°Its killing is a blow to tremendous steps taken by the community to conserve rare and unique species, and a wakeup call for continued support to conservation efforts.¡±
This white giraffe garnered world¡¯s attention when she was first spotted in 2017 on the conservancy and then when she? birthed two calves, the latest in August last year.
According to reports the mother was killed by poachers in Ijara, Garissa County. The body is thought to be three to four months old and was found alongside that of her calf, who seems to have died from hunger after the mother died.?
The rare colour of the giraffe was not a cause of albinism but leucism in which the body produces dark pigment in soft tissue, giving the animals dark eyes.
The giraffes were a major tourist attraction. For the community members the discovery of their dead bodies has been termed as a ¡®sad day¡¯.?
One only wonders what the poachers could have gained by killing a rare animal that might just stop existing.?